CVCRDec24

Champions for Flight 629

By Linda Allour

A normal evening for local farmers near the outskirts of Longmont was disrupted by a flash and the sound of an explosion. They rushed from their homes. Reaching the field, they witnessed debris and the gruesome sight of an airplane crash, 39 passengers and 5 crew members. Naively, they thought they could help survivors.

Bravely, they did what they thought should be done. However, the accident sight with bodies scattered across a quarter mile, was a traumatic reality and hard to grasp. Official emergency responders assigned these eyewitnesses bodies to protect from looters and to safeguard the evidence.

Many residents, like Clayton Bearly, took care of those helping the EMTs. He managed Johnson’s Corner, at the time, and called suppliers to order food at 1:30 am. He was one of many citizens who helped provide food and coffee for days, after the initial investigation, and throughout the cleanup. His son, Phil (five at the time) now sits on the Flight 629 Memorial committee.

This plane crash turned out to be the first confirmed case of sabotage by bomb of a commercial airline over U.S. soil. The explosion happened November 1, 1955, in Weld County, Colorado near Highway 66 and County Road 13.

The investigation by the FBI and other state and local organizations, determined that the cause was from dynamite that had been placed in a passenger’s luggage. John Gilbert Graham had placed a bomb in his mother’s suitcase as retaliation for childhood suffering and to collect on life insurance. Back then, you could purchase life insurance at the airport, from a vending machine. Within a 15-month period, Graham was tried, convicted and executed for the premeditated murder of his mother.

Unfortunately, he was never held legally accountable for the other 43 souls on board because there were no Federal laws in place. As a result, and following a wave of copycat attempts for life insurance claims, laws are now in place making an attack on a commercial airline or bus a Federal crime.

The trial began April 16, 1956; a sensation in Colorado and across the country. This trial was one of the first to be televised. Once the conviction and execution were completed, life went back to normal. However, the farmers and the community members who rushed to help and saw the terrible crash scene, were not the same. They suffered from PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, not a well-known term at that time.

Conrad Hopp was one of those farmers that helped that fateful night. The plane crashed on his land. Difficult to talk about, the tragedy soon faded, and many children, grandchildren, friends, and new generations never heard of Flight 629 and all those affected by the trauma.

Now, decades later, Conrad and others want their story remembered. There have been a few books, even a Movie made referencing the event, but something more is needed. A Flight 629 Memorial Organization has formed. The vision is to recognize, praise, and remember those community champions and the innocent 44 souls lost.

Many people and organizations are involved: The Denver Police Museum, FlyteCo Tower (old Stapleton Tower), History Colorado, local citizens, and more. They all want to acknowledge the significance of this event and those involved.

Greg Raymer is the President of the Flight 629 Memorial and encourages Coloradoans to support the Memorial. He says, “We need to have history remembered.” A handful of the original first responders (farmers, community and officials) are still with us.

Becky Tesone, Vice President of the Flight 629 Memorial Organization, explains that the memorial will allow the recognition of the FBI, Police, Fireman, community members and the victims. Tesone emphasizes that the goal is to have the memorial in place, on Weld County land, by November 1, 2025 – the 70th anniversary. “I don’t want this generation to pass away without them seeing the memorial. We need to recognize these Community Champions.” Tesone explains that the memorial will have four sides. First side is the Flight 629 title and the names of the victims. 2nd side is the (Flyteco) Stapleton Tower. 3rd side is the responders and tail photo. The fourth side is under review.

Watch for multiple fundraising events over the next several months. Much is happening and many people and organizations are involved. We encourage you, as Weld County and Colorado residents, help us obtain this memorial from Landmark Memorial in Longmont.

For more information and to donate to the memorial you can go to the Flight 629 Memorial Facebook page, the website, www.flight629memorial.org and the GoFundMe account Flight 629 Memorial at https://bit.ly/3A3kRgW.